Samsung Galaxy S5 versus HTC One M8

HTC and Samsung's 2014 flagships showcase two radically different approaches to smartphone design

For many smartphone buyers over the next few months, this is the big choice — the Samsung Galaxy S5, or the new HTC One M8. While both are five-inch rectangles — more or less, anyway — running Android 4.4 KitKat, the differences are numerous and significant, representing two divergent approaches to smartphone design.

HTC emphasizes design at every turn, with a aluminum unibody and its stylish Sense 6 UI. With Samsung, it's all about the features — a water-resistant chassis, a beastly 16-megapixel camera, built-in fingerprint scanner and heart rate sensor. So how do the two compare? Read on as we pit these two heavyweights against each other. It's time for the smartphone grudge match of 2014 —HTC One M8 versus Samsung Galaxy S5.

Video walkthrough

External hardware and build quality

The HTC One M8 and Samsung Galaxy S5 are two very different beasts, but nowhere are they more dissimilar than on the outside. Whereas Samsung offers a light, plastic, water-resistant design with a removable battery and replaceable back panels, HTC opts for an aluminum unibody that's heavier and less protected from the elements, but much more pleasing to the senses.

HTC's choice of materials results in a more premium-looking device, but it also presents some problems from a usability perspective. With its narrow sides and smooth finish, the M8 feels slick in the hand, making it more difficult to securely grip than most phones. By contrast, the GS5's plastic chassis doesn't feel as classy, but it's much easier to hold onto. And the use of a metal unibody also presents more opportunities for minor build differences between models. (We've noticed a few inconsistencies in joins around the various ports in the handful of M8s we've used.)

HTC's metal unibody looks better than Samsung's plastic, but it can be tougher to hold onto.

Depending on which color option you pick up, both of these phones will have one of a few different finishes. The "gunmetal gray" HTC One has a glossier texture, while the silver and gold variants are matte, like their predecessor. On the GS5 you've got a choice between soft-touch plastic on the black (or other colors, if you're lucky) model and a more standard hard plastic on the white. In the U.S., you're largely stuck with either the black or white models.

The physical dimensions of the two phones are similar, with only a tenth of a inch difference between their screens' diagonal measurements. However the M8 is taller on account of its front-facing speakers, and its screen is also positioned higher up, meaning you've got further to reach in order to hit the top of the display.

The Galaxy S5's IP67-rated water-resistant credentials mean you can use the phone in the rain or around the pool without worry, but this also necessitates a fiddly plastic flap around the microUSB port. There's a wireless charging back on the way, which will eliminate the need to use this port every day, but unfortunately this isn't available just yet. The HTC One M8, by contrast, is rated IPX3, meaning it's protected from water sprays, but little more. Daredevil videos not withstanding, we wouldn't submerge the M8.

From the outside, the choice between these two phones comes down to utility versus beauty. The M8 is a great-looking handset with a unique premium feel, while the GS5 is easier to hold, but not as awe-inspiring.

If you forced us to choose, however, we'd have to pick the all-metal HTC One over Samsung's plastic-clad offering. As we said in our M8 review, the new HTC One feels like a phone from the future. By contrast, the GS5 is very much a phone of the here and now.

Internals

The HTC One M8 and Samsung Galaxy S5 are both fairly similar on the inside, packing Snapdragon 801 processors, 2GB of RAM and 1080p displays. In terms of raw specs, the most notable differences are in the camera technology — 4-megapixel "Ultrapixel" versus 16-megapixel ISOCELL — as well as the small gains in CPU speed and battery capacity offered by the GS5. On paper, at least, the GS5 offers more hardware muscle. Though as we'll discuss later, that doesn't necessarily mean it's the more responsive of the two.

Display and sound

Both the HTC One M8 and Samsung Galaxy S5 feature 1080p displays — a 5.1-inch Full HD SuperAMOLED panel on the GS5, and a 5-inch SuperLCD on the M8. The screens are extremely close in quality and brightness, both excelling across the board. If we had to nit-pick, we'd point out the slightly whiter whites on the M8's LCD and the darker blacks and somewhat punchier colors of the GS5's AMOLED display. (It's also worth underscoring the S5's impressive daylight performance, delivering just as much clarity as the LCD-based competition in bright sunlight.)

It's difficult to call a winner when it comes to display quality.

There's also a small difference in button configuration between the two phones. The M8 uses on-screen keys, which gets you easier access to Google Now, as well as the legacy menu key when it's needed. The Galaxy S5 offers more screen real estate in many apps through it's use of off-screen buttons. That said, most Android apps needing full screen mode will hide the M8's software keys.

We're prepared to call it a draw when it comes to display quality. Unsurprisingly, though, the HTC One M8's loud, bassy front speakers secure it an easy win in the audio department. Samsung's traditional rear-mounted speaker isn't bad at all, but it offers nowhere near the clarity, bass and volume of HTC's "BoomSound" setup.

Software, performance and features

At the software level, the Galaxy S5 and HTC One M8 encapsulate their manufacturers' contrasting approaches to smartphone design. The software on Samsung's new flagship is flatter and arguably less cartoonish than previous generations, though it's still overly colorful and brimming with features. You'll need to go digging around in the phone's labyrinthine Settings menu to find them all, however — there's not the impression of being beaten over the head with features that we experienced with the GS4.

The two big, new features this time around are the fingerprint scanner built into the home key, and the heart rate sensor located under the rear camera. You'll find neither on the HTC One M8, though we have to question whether either of these features has mass appeal. The fingerprint scanner works well enough for purchase authentication, but it's position makes it fiddly and awkward to use for lock screen security, at least while one-handing the device. Likewise, the heart rate sensor is accurate enough, but if you need to regularly keep track of your pulse, chances are you're already doing so with more specialized equipment.

If you can imagine it, chances are it's a feature on the Galaxy S5.

And there are even more Galaxy S5 features to contend with on the software side. Want to turn your phone into a smartwatch-connected baby monitor? The GS5 can do that. More hover and motion-based gestures than you'll ever remember how to use? Check. A way to drain your monthly data cap even faster by pooling LTE and Wifi for big downloads? That's a thing, too. If you can imagine it, chances are it's a feature of the Galaxy S5. Whether that's good or bad (or just superfluous) depends on your own individual needs.

So the HTC One M8 has a considerable feature deficit compared to the GS5, but the software tricks it offers are well-executed and useful. Motion Launch makes it much easier to unlock the M8 without reaching for its awkwardly-placed power button. And BlinkFeed, HTC's home screen reader, is better than ever, bringing in content from more services and being more intelligent about what it shows. (Samsung offers "My Magazine," a Flipboard-based competitor, but it isn't nearly as configurable or useful as BlinkFeed.)

HTC also inches ahead on software design, with a cleaner interface with a more consistent aesthetic throughout. Samsung's latest TouchWiz UI looks much sharper than previous iterations, with flatter icons, lighter fonts and a less cartoonish aesthetic. But in our opinion HTC's Sense 6 just looks better, and it's also noticeably faster to get around and more responsive to touch. Whether that's through better software optimization is unclear, but it's a big part of what makes the M8 feel like the faster phone.

Cameras

Samsung and HTC have also adopted opposing approaches to photography. HTC is capped at 4 megapixels with its "Ultrapixel" tech, delivering larger pixels on the sensor, while Samsung cranks it's sensor up to 16 megapixels, incorporating a new ISOCELL sensor designed to reduce electrical interference between pixels.

Both cameras represent different extremes of smartphone photography. HTC prioritizes low-light performance and capture speed over detail, while Samsung's camera is tilted towards daylight performance — an area in which it excels — though it's slower in low light, capturing much softer images in the process.

In well-lit scenes, the Galaxy S5 wins by a country mile.

So how do the two cameras compare? In well-lit scenes, there's no contest — the Galaxy S5 wins by a country mile, capturing a huge amount of detail with wider dynamic range than the HTC One, even outside of its excellent HDR mode. Where the M8 blows out brighter skies and underexposes shaded areas, the Galaxy S5 produces more balanced and detailed shots. And the GS5 offers a superior HDR mode, which does a better job of balancing bright and dark areas, and even gives you a real-time HDR preview of what you're shooting before you press the shutter key.

The GS5 also shoots with almost no shutter lag in daylight, even in HDR mode — admittedly, it's perhaps not quite as fast as the M8 in normal mode, but we're talking fractions of a second here. Samsung, like HTC, offers a burst mode that lets you machinegun through exposures in rapid succession — the feature works well on both phones.

Samsung's higher megapixel count seems to allow it to create better panorama and Photosphere (OK, "Surround shot") images too, and we ran into fewer stitching issues on the GS5 compared to the M8.

But the main "Ultrapixel" camera is only part of HTC's photographic equation. It also incorporates a second camera for capturing depth information, as part of its "Duo camera" setup. This lets you soften the background and add other artistic and 3D effects to shots, and as this information is captured with every photo, you don't need to do anything use these features. Samsung offers its own selective focus mode, as do many other manufacturers, but you need to switch to a specific mode to use it, and shots in this mode are slower to capture.

For the most part, the HTC "Ultrapixel" camera's strength lies in low light photography. Despite its relative weakness in daylight, it's great at capturing good-looking shots in less than ideal lighting conditions, and it does so faster than the Galaxy S5. HTC's two-tone flash also does a better job at producing natural-looking shots, whereas you'll need to manually adjust white balance on the GS5 to avoid washed-out-looking photos with a blueish tint when using the flash. And for selfie fanatics, HTC offers a higher-specced front-facing camera — a 5-megapixel unit with a wide-angle lens, compared to Samsung's 2-megapixel front-facer.

When it comes to moving pictures, both devices are competent video cameras, though Samsung pulls ahead with its 4K video support. What's more, the Samsung camera's wider dynamic range is also apparent in video footage at all resolutions, meaning you'll get clearer footage from the GS5 when shooting both dark and bright areas in the same scene.

While it's a clear win for the Galaxy S5 on image quality, it's worth giving credit to HTC's Video Highlights feature, which creates automatic highlight reels for events based on your photos and videos. Samsung offers a similar capability in the "Studio" area of its Gallery app, but it's nowhere near as full-featured or instantaneous — or simply fun to use — as HTC's version.

Battery life

HTC pulls ahead slightly on battery life, though Samsung will let you swap in a new one.

With an extra 200mAh of battery capacity at its disposal, you might expect the Galaxy S5 to inch slightly ahead of the HTC One. But that's not quite the case — in our experience, the M8 seems to pull ahead slightly, delivering around 15 hours of mixed heavy use versus the 13-14 or so we've been able to get out of the GS5. The Galaxy S5's camera also seemed to take a greater toll on its battery than the M8. In any case, it's a small difference. Either handset should be enough to get you through a full working day, and then some — thankfully, improved battery life is a hallmark of this latest generation of Android phones.

One benefit of the GS5, however, is its removable battery and back panel — the former for obvious reasons, as you can swap in a fresh battery on longer days, the latter because there's a wireless charging back on the way, giving you an easier way to keep it charged through the day.

Both devices also feature their own extreme low-power mode, which cut back on display brightness (Samsung goes to grayscale, actually), CPU speed and limit you to a small subset of apps in order to eke out several hours from the last few percent of battery capacity. The rated use time varies depending on what you're doing, but based on our time testing HTC's Extreme Power Saving Mode and Samsung's Ultra Power Saving Mode, either will get you several days per charge.

Galaxy S5 versus HTC One M8 — The bottom line

The choice here isn't easy — both the Samsung Galaxy S5 and HTC One M8 are fantastic phones that do a great many things really well. So perhaps it makes more sense to look at their respective weaknesses.

Tallness and slipperiness aside, the M8's main functional weakness is its camera — that 4-megapixel ceiling becomes painfully apparent when compared with 16-megapixel photos from the Galaxy S5, and if you're a keen mobile photographer then that's a legitimate reason to choose another phone instead. Same deal if you absolutely must have a water-resistant phone — the M8's IPX3-rated splash resistance won't take you very far.

Rational arguments aside, the HTC One M8 is just more enjoyable to use.

The GS5's weaknesses are more nuanced. It doesn't do any one thing really badly. Its camera's low-light performance is disappointing, but not horrendous. And its software isn't as pretty or responsive as the M8's, but it's perfectly functional and usable. The same goes for its plastic exterior — it's not as dazzling as the M8's metal shell, but it's comfortable to hold, and looks and feels better than earlier Samsung efforts.

That's the rational argument. Here's the irrational (and, yes, subjective) one — the HTC One M8 is just more enjoyable to use, maybe because its strengths are in areas you notice in every second of use. The luxurious aluminum unibody has a fantastic in-hand feel, and the sharper design and faster responsiveness of Sense 6 make the M8's software a joy to use. HTC hasn't nailed every area of the smartphone experience — the lopsided camera performance is a big let-down, and the slippery shape takes some getting used to.

Nevertheless, if you forced us to choose between these two Android titans of early 2014 we'd have to reach for the new HTC One.

Reader comments

Samsung Galaxy S5 versus HTC One M8

Sounds like to most reviews I´ve seen that HTC One M8 is the better phone in general with the only lag being the camera.
Now I am not a photographer, I would use it for vacation photos, I don´t use a dedicated camera for that nor would I ever do that I think. So is M8´s camera capabilities good enough for vacation images and memories and the occational video from a vacation? or is it the Samsung Galaxy S5 I need to go with?
I am a music addict particularly hardstyle and so HTC One M8´s superior stereo sound specs is something that draws me a bit more towards HTC One m8 at the moment. Plus their best smart phone of the year 2 years in a row.
I´ve used android for years, my first phone was HTC Desire, my current is Samsung Galaxy S2.

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I love my new S5 . The battery is awesome just make sure to turn off all the apps that it gave you when you got your phone, it will help the battery life. There is alot of useless stuff running in the background that will leech your battery. Be smart and this phone will work for you.
If you want to root your s5 you can do it by following http://www.smartphonestutorials.com/root-galaxy-s5-models-android-4-4-2-...

Lol guys I've had fun reading most of the comments specialy the ones where people are defending there brands. I was having a difficult time too determining witch one to go with. Decide that it does come down to preferences and needs. So I will be getting both the M8 for my self as I have been an htc fan for a while along with many other reasons and the GS5 for my wife as picture quality is very important to her. Good luck to all and I will say if I had to pick a winner it would be the M8. If you went and did some research and actually took the time and read the articles and reviews you will see that the M8 is simply the king right now at this moment. To me the GS5 is like a chick's car and the M8 is a man's car just go to the store and test drive one you'll see what I mean.

I just wanted to tell you guys how much I appreciate the reviews you do. First of all, the detail is tremendous. I research the hell out of my tech in the months prior to buying and then i fall entirely out of the loop. 2 years is a long time to remain willfully ignorant about things like computers and cell-phones so these reviews serve as primers for me to get back up to speed.

second, i love that you have the video AND the text review with detailed pictures. at home it's great to be able to see a video but when i'm somewhere I can't watch a video *ahem*work*cough*cough* the article is paramount!

so many websites forget that not everybody can sit and watch a video or that they even want to so these reviews are much appreciated!

now i have to quit stalling and decide between these two phones...
thanks again!

However, the reality is that you are dead wrong about the HTC's camera: it is a perfectly acceptable shooter, and one that will please 99.9% of the average consumers that are going to use it. We smartphone geeks tend to nitpick a lot of points that would never occur to the average joe, and that's something that is often missed by us. Your regular guy or gal just wants something that is going to take decent photos for sharing and Facebook, and this camera does that well. I would also argue that most people will simply have more fun taking photos with this phone than with other competing devices: the interface is clean and incredibly easy to use, it's features are cool (if sometimes a bit gimmicky), and the shutter speed is awesome. And while your typical person usually won't stop to analyze every aspect of a quick shot they just took, they are certainly going to notice when it doesn't show up at all in a lowlight scenario. The HTC is going to minimize that happening more than most smartphone cameras.

At the end of the day, the camera on the HTC One M8 is solid. It just isn't amazing like the one you find on the Galaxy S5. That said, it will do what most people need it to do and more. The M8 is simply a well-designed phone on most all levels that count, and I think the camera is a far cry from a true chink in its armor.

All I can say is I will stick with Samsung. THEY CAN TAKE A BEATING. My S3 was bashed 5 times against a door jam and stomped and the screen smashed and thrown in sink of water...not by me....and it still made calls til I got my S5. Life is tough why shouldn't you're phone be? ;)

Lets stop all of the bickering. I went with M8, because after using the m7 it was hard going back to touchwiz and non-front facing speakers. In reality you can't go wrong with either phone because they're both fantastic, but the LG G3 is going to give them a run for their money. The Z2 would also be nice if someone here in the states actually sold it.

Hoping to grab an M8 this weekend....My GS3 aged poorly and just is clinging to a slow crawl of life. Having your updates repeated slow your phones down and anger your customer base is just not good business practice. I got nothing against Sammy but.....Fool me once....

The Note 3 which is 6 months old is still better then both of these phones. I purchases both the GS5 and HTC One M8 and returned them both because my Note 3 out preformed them both. I will be waiting on the Note 4 to be released. The Note series is and always will be the flagship of all Android phones. Especially when it was released 6 months ago and in the tech world that is a lifetime. I root my phones and remove all the bloat ware so that's irrelevant to me.

I have many friends in law enforcement. They have all owned samsung phones. They all collectively agree that samsung is the least durable in terms of screen breaking from a drop. If I owned a gs5 the first thing I would do is install a tempered glass screen protector and otterbox defender.

These phones both only have 2gbs of ram. My droid maxx from 8 months ago has 2gbs of ram. It also has a much bigger battery (25% larger). It also has a 5" display. I don't care about having super high quality and saturation on a phone. I can use my tablet or laptop for that.

But. My phone is carrier exclusive. Meaning very few accessory options. I basically own every high end case in existence. Qmadix s, otterbox defender and commuter, incipio dual pro and feather, and trident cyclops. As a person with an interest in high quality accessories, I found HTC M8's dot view case to be very appealing. In store, it wasn't a problem for me to type with the cover around the back. I liked the similarities to motorola's active notifications. It was a very non gimmicky phone interface.

If I was a person without a digital camera, I definitely would chose the Galaxy S5 over the m8. Samsung has always done a good job with cameras. But at least with my droid maxx, my camera quality improves time and time again with updates via play store. Not to mention other apps I love like Assist. Not having to fully update my phone while receiving updates to critical functions is very pleasing.

I do think that it is somewhat of a disappointment for Verizon to refresh the Droid Maxx and cut the memory in half. It was very reminiscent of the Galaxy Nexus. I mean really, why would you cut the storage back, furthering your customers dependencies on using up more data that they already pay for?

I would like to say I feel truly blessed. I have a newish phone that is able to be rooted and updated when I want it to. It also has amazing battery life (2 days without trying, 3 days even sometimes). And most importantly grandfathered unlimited data. The day that I am not able to have freedom with rooting or lose my unlimited will be the day I seriously consider changing my carrier. It will then become apparent that I have outgrown verizon or they have outgrown me.

The M8 has a poor camera, the body is annoyingly slippery and just has a poor ergonomic design all around. Worst of all you can't even replace the battery when it most certainly fails after 2.5 to 3 years time. That's just a no-go on so many levels.

HTC is way too much form over function these days. They are trying too hard to copy Apple's style.

The Galaxy S5 is an amazing device if your main concern is not "which material is it made from". The software that comes with it is actually top notch too. S-voice is amazing. it understands just about everything and even alls people when use from a bluetooth headset. The camera software good too. Also love the quick settings. I downloaded apps for that before, but Samsung's really works well. Although I don't like Samsung's launcher, so I replaced that by Nova.

The finger print scanner works amazingly well too. Didn't expect that, but it really does. I unlock it with my thumb single handed. Something I never could do with patterns or pin codes.

The heart beat scanner I don;t see much use for. Seems to work well though. It accurately gave me my heart rate. Compared to a Polar heart rate monitor, but that Polar chest band is much easier to use than keeping a finger on a eye.

The Galaxy S5 has proper water proofing too. Tests I saw on this showed the HTC One M8 lost sound after only a short submerge in water. Not that I plan to drop it in water, but you never know.

Other options I considered where the Nexus 5 or the Sony Z2. The Z2 wasn't available and the Nexus 5 suffers from the same problems as the M8. The Nexus 5 also doesn't allow replacing the battery and it's camera is poor. Battery live on the Nexus 5 was noticeably poorer on the N5 than the Galaxy S5.

I bought a gunmetal grey M8. Took it back and got the GS5. The M8 was too hard to hang onto, I felt like I was always in danger of dropping it. And with the power button on top it was awkward and difficult to use one handed. The M8 screen was harder to see in bright sunlight as well. It's best point for me was the speaker volume, not for music, but for notifications. I work in louder environments and loved the booming notes it could toss. The GS is lees flashy. It's lighter, but for me easier to hang onto confidently without the curved back. I like the dimpled soft feel texture on the back as well. I've never been a huge fan of samsung in the past, I will admit that. Once I went through and set up the GS5 the way I like it and disabled a load of stuff I will never use, I am fairly happy with it. I work around water daily, sometimes all day and am a little more comfortable with it's water resistant body. And it is fast. And it works well. It may not be super flashy, but it seems like it will be a stable daily device.

I'm 100% like you. Felt like the M8 was going to be dinged too easily and it was way too slippery. I have 3 kids and we're outdoors a LOT 8 months out of the year. So water / dust resistance is a legit feature for me.

I changed animations to .5x in developer options and the S5 flies now. Samsung simply made their default animations too slow.

people are returning the m8 bc they are scared to drop it. oh but never mind the superior UI.. um the most important thing about any smarthphone with android. #SAMSUNGFAIL. NEVER mind the countless minimal intrusive covers available. RIGHT.. sure.

I really like the M8. It's got a great look but that can actually be a problem in a way. I normally carry my phone in either a front pants pocket or a cargo pant pocket with the screen facing in to protect it from damage. The problem with the M8 is that it's too pretty. If you don't put it a case it's going to get marked up. Even in a pocket the corners are going to get subtle wearing away of the finish color and texture around the corners. Also (and this is from past experience with several metal-clad devices) if you really carry it around all the time, it's going to get dents while in your pocket from banging into things - without a case it's inevitable. And with that smooth gracefully curved back every dent is really going to show. Then there's the slippery finish. I still have a Galaxy Nexus that's now running KitKat that is my crash and burn phone because my VZW SIM fits both that and my GS4. I tried to carry the Nexus without a case and it was like holding on to a wet bar of soap - well almost. I gotta think that the M8 will be worse so it's going to be in a case if I get one because the last thing I need is a phone I need to obsess over both screen scratches AND case scratches. But then...if it's in a case it will be substantially bigger and heavier than a Galaxy S5 which can pretty much go without a case.
Meh, think I'll just wait for the Note 4.

Even though i keep wanting to get an HTC over the popular samsungs. GS5 is water resistant, i do like finger print ID, and from my experience Samsung does add great feautres. Plus i mean the camera. HTC should of tried for 8 at least. I know this author kept bragging about night time pics. But looking at other comparisons the Samsung not only dominates in day light but at night the lights have less halos and I dont see the advantage to HTC camera

But i most likely will get the HTC regardless. Well really im going to wait for IO conference. See what Google is up to . I really really love water resistant features

Exactly, you sometimes read people claiming the M8 takes better low light pictures, but the eaxmples they give don't show it. I never take low light pictures anyway, so it sounds more like marketing to me anyway.

I have the M8 because of the crazy good deal I got on it. I love the phone in every way but still miss Galaxy. The build quality is very sleek but I honestly like the S5's feel as well. I have spent a lot of time on both phones and have found that they are both great devices.

It is definitely all about personal preference on these monsters. Sense 6 is very clean feeling coming from a S4 but I totally dig the new TouchWiz. This is probably not a deal breaker for many people but the only thing holding me back from trading for the S5 is BlinkFeed.

Thank you for the great comparison article. I have never liked the Samsung phones because to me, they always liked cheap. I had a Droid Razr until I got my M8. I almost got an S5 when I had to upgrade because I wanted a phone with an sd card....then I saw the M8. There was no comparison! It is a sharp looking and lightning fast phone!

Is it too much to ask a reviewer to plug in a good set of headphones and compare the audio performance of these phones? I find big differences in phone audio performance and I have returned a phone for that reason, Note 3.

M8 all day. I tried both phones and the S5 only lasted 2 hours in my hand. I could not bare holding it after having the M8 first. The camera is better on the S5 but not what people make of it. The minute you take the camera indoors photos are very soft and not sharp at all as if the lens struggle when there is no natural sun light. M8 is a beast

For instance I'd say the Galaxy S5 wins in:
- Screen size
- Screen is much more visible in the sun
- Touchsensor is more sensitive (which comes in handy when used with gloves)
- Replaceable battery means it can keep functioning for more than 2.5 to 3 years
- Removable battery back also allows wireless charging options
- Battery charges in record time
- Egronomics (not being so annoyingly slippery as the M8 and the S5 has the powerbutton in the right place)
- Build quality and lasting looks (Lighter, waterproof and doesn't dent so easily)
- Hot swappable SD card
- USB 3.0 port makes moving big files on or off the device very fast even with a cable
- Speed of the UI
- Ease of use of the UI (especially quick settings and "multi window")
- Camera is much much better
- Finger print scanner

Don't understand all the negativity about the HTC one m8 camera. Unless you are going to blow the pictures up or print them out it is fine. The only real downside of the phones camera is taking scenery photos outside in strong sunlight. . to me this isn't really a deal breaker. What is though, is the low light photography, video highlights and the duo camera and zoe. Its a new and much better way to share content and Samsung has nothing that comes close to it. . . seems to be a lopsided argument that simply focuses on megapixel count and one shooting context??

I am considering upgrading from the HTC One X to either the HTC M8 or the Samsung 5S. I am with you Ryder99. I use my HTC for family/fun photos. Inside and out. Dont need panoramic, and when editing, only slight crops. (If I want more, I use my SLR.) I am not too impressed with my current HTC - the focus is off, my pictures are often blurred, and the contrast is tricky (but that may be more to do with the age of my HTC and the number of times I have dropped it over the last two years). So the difference in MPs is - to me - a red herring. I want a phone that can take quick and good photos inside and out. So I am definitely leading towards the HTC M8 for the camera over the Samsung. I am still looking at other features HTC M8 vs. Samsung, e.g. battery life, etc. One of the aspects I have not seen reviewed/mentioned is reliability (I had to have my HTC One X repaired six times) and vulnerability to malware (an area I have heard we should be considering for androids). Anyone have a comment on those two areas, Samsung 5S vs. HTC M8?

LOL. The AC editors have such a hard-on for the HTC they can't even read what they themselves write. After saying that the externals of the S3 are superior in pretty much every functional way, they still prefer the HTC because it looks so awesome. If you want jewelry, go buy a Rolex. I don't buy a phone to impress others, least of all the editors of a phone blog. Give me function every day. I guess I don't think a "phone of the future" will be so slippery, scratch and dent when it does slip out of your hand, and waste so much screen space on a useless logo. Of course, most people will put a plastic case on the HTC to deal with the slipperiness and protect it from scratches and dents. But there goes that wonderful aluminum feel, too.

The extra bulk of the HTC, is definitely off putting for my moderately sized hands. That big area of wasted screen space wouldn't have been as bad if it were at the top of the screen, but where it is it makes the phone pretty much impossible for me to use one-handed.

That doesn't mean the S5 will be my next phone. It does mean I won't choose a less functional device just because it'll impress the hipsters at the coffee shop.

No mention of external card (micro SD) availability or comparison in article. This is important to me. Also just to note, I like removable backs so you can replace battery and have access to things. I replaced the back on my GS3 for $3. In addition capacitive keys and physical home button utilize the black space at bottom - maximizing screen for size of phone on GS5. Wouldn't want all the unusable area on front of M1. It won't be so pretty after slipping out of the hand due to its size (difficulty to reach with thumb), rounded shape and slipperiness.

Really? I was comparing the HTC fans to Apple fans and the M8 vs the S5.

The Nexus 5 is a fine device, save for the fact it wasnt released on VZW. I have nothing against nexus devices. I just think there are a few huge draw backs to the M8 that always gets glossed over.

1. The metal, while it looks pretty it going to get scratched and dented...look at AC's review
2. Which if you want to keep it nice, this creates the necessity for the case which increases the size even more and hides the whole pretty looking thing.
3. The logo bar is hideously large
4. The camera is lame sauce
5. Trying to claim ergonomics when you have to shimmy up and down the tall, slippery phone that you're going to drop and then you end up back at #1.
6. Resale value of your scratched and dented, now ugly phone, is going to be low

Hey, but you've got great little tiny speakers...good on ya! But that's why I have a bluetooth speaker.

They are both great phones but I just picked up the M8 yesterday. Yes I think that the camera isn't as good as the S5 but that isnt important to me. I chose the M8 because the speakers are awesome, I think that Touchwiz looks more cartoon-ish, and i just think the M8 is one sexy beast!

I'm not that passionate about what other people do with their money as far as tech goes. It's consumers money so how they make they're purchasing decisions is their business ALWAYS. Companies just have to work harder to win over consumers especially the smaller companies like HTC. Average people will go with well-known products versus testing the waters with an unfamiliar brand. It's their right so let's get off our high elitist horses and enjoy what you enjoy whether it's popular or not. I never said the S5 was better than the M8 because Samsung will most likely sell more.

Nothing elitist here, just an enthusiast who's tired of seeing Samsung put out essentially the same phone year after year and be rewarded handsomely for it. Your reply to me was much more thought out and I agree with it, the 1st post seemed more like something a Samsung fanboy would say, using HTC's commercial as a joke against them while citing nothing other than sales. Carry on.

Samsung isn't the only phone maker doing it but one of the few that has been successful with it. HTC or Sony didn't release that different of a device from last years model. It appears LG is going to do the same with G3 and possibly Moto to follow. My original comment was a little flippant but not far from the truth at all. Also to be completely honest that commercial is a joke and they should be scorned for it.

And the HTC M8 isn't essentially the "same phone" as the M7? Until we get a major change in Android, and a major improvement in electronics or battery tech, we're only going to see modest improvements from one generation to the next. Both the Samsung and HTC are incremental upgrades over the previous models, but I'd argue the S5 offers more in the way of new features and capabilities, with waterproofing, fingerprint reader, heart rate monitors, and more. The only really new feature on the M8 is the dual camera, but it strikes me as a gimmick more than something I'd really use. The same applies to many of Samsung's features, too.

Criticizing the S5 for being an incremental update while not leveling the same criticism at the M8 is to wear blinders.

Since everyone seems to be hung up on the cameras on these devices, let me say I had both phones in my possession in a real world situation and the GS5's 16mp makes little to no difference.

Sure, you can zoom in more once the picture is taken, but when you zoom in and it's all smudged and looks like an oil painting, what does it matter?

What about the rooting/bootloader differences? Samsung's KNOX crap has put a serious damper on unlocking your phone's bootloader. That is a HUGE deal to a lot of people, but I don't see it mentioned in these comments. If you don't think it's a huge deal, you will when something goes wrong and Samsung won't help you due to the KNOX counter being tripped.

While the HTC already has S-OFF achieved for all variants so any unlocked or tampered flag can be reversed with a simple adb command. No comparison on that front.

HTC has proven 2 years in a row that it can run circles around Samsung when it comes to optimizing software. The GS5 still somehow feels laggy when doing simple tasks like swiping from one homescreen to another.

And weeks after using it, I'm still laughing at the plastic ribbed "chrome" sides of the GS5. I cannot wrap my mind around the thought of anyone on this planet thinking it looks or feels nice. Just a total slap in the face to their customers and smart phone enthusiasts around the world.

This battle goes to HTC in a landslide and it's not even close. If you're within your time frame, take back your GS5 right now while it is still running (relatively) smooth and get your M8.

Well said! I for the life of me can't understand why anyone would remotely think that the GS5 feels nice or is even in the same league as far as build quality as the M8. You can say the M8 is a finely crafted sword and the GS5 is a plastic utensil. That's how much of a difference quality wise the GS5 is from the M8. Then there is the bloatware called Touchwiz that completely ruins what could have been a nice device. There's no denying that the M8 whips the pants off any device on the market today whether you want to accept it or not.

Sometimes something is so obvious that it stops being an opinion and turns into fact. Check out some YouTube videos showing time and time again where the M8 outperforms the GS5, whether it be opening apps, opening up the task switcher, etc. And my bootloader comment was also a fact, not an opinion. The camera comment is opinion, but if you zoom into your GS5 pictures and think that blotchy oil painting detail looks good, then more power to you I guess, I would hate to live life with your eyes. And if you think that plastic edge around the GS5 is anything other than an abomination, I have nothing to say to you ever again.

Well said! I think most here have their hearts set on brand loyalty. If they truly did there homework they will see the facts. For example I was told at my cell company store that they get in lots of Samsung or GS phones for repair. But again all you have to do is some homework and see that the M8 is simply a better phone overall.

1) The wireless charging adapter is live on Samsung's accessories site now.
2) Samsung is better than HTC in terms of long term support. The latter dropped the One X from its KitKat plans, which is ridiculous.
3) Samsung gives you more screen with less bezel. The M8 has a huge "chin" that HTC tries to hide with a black bar that looks like part of the screen but isn't. I guess a lot reviewers are falling for the trick.
4) Good luck holding onto an aluminum body with anything less that perfectly dry hands. I can see a lot of dents and scratches from drops in M8 owners' future.
5) What some call TouchWiz' feature bloat, I call not having to hunt for 3rd party apps to do simple but useful stuff.
6) The GS5 has USB 3.0, which allows for fast file transfers from your PC.

In the end, it was the GS5's IP67 rating and Multi-Window capability that hooked me. That latter makes your phone a lot more useful than usual.

Plastic absorbs impacts much better than metal does. Plus Samsung phones are designed to gracefully and reversibly disintegrate (the cover and battery come off) when dropped, which dissipates impact energy and prevents it from going into the screen. Therefore, it's pretty tough to break a Samsung screen unless you're really stupid or trying really hard.

I dunno dude, i've dropped my M7 atleast a dozen times thinking "oh snap, i just shattered my screen" and every time it walks away without a single scratch or dent. HTC builds seriously durable phones that, you know, actually feel premium.

I didn't say the HTC was necessarily more prone to damage, I was only saying that a cracked screen is unlikely with a Samsung flagship.

I also don't care for premium feel. I just want my phone to be light and easily gripped. You can refer back to the article for the comparison between both phones on that last point, def don't have to take my word for it.

For me the M8 is the best looking smartphone ever build. Those designers did an outstanding job. Lets hope HTC improves the camera quality in the next iteration. A compact version with same internals and design would be my choice.

I made the choice and went with the gs5. The camera killed the m8 for me. I haven't had a 4 megapixel camera since like 1995 or so. I always keep my phone in a case so the aluminum is not a deal maker. The phone (gs5) so far is awesome. Does everything I need it to and the fingerprint scanner is cool as heck. Works great with the last pass app.

Good review although I like the S5 better. First review I've seen that doesn't have the Galaxy screen as the better screen and using both I'm a little surprised you called it a draw. Regardless well done.

For me form must follow function, not the other way around. Unless we're talking women's lingerie, then it's form over function, but not by much. Or maybe with lingerie it's "form IS function". I'll have to do more research in that area.

I don't do contracts anymore so neither one of these phones are worth it for me. Nothing eye popping about either one. The inflation of cell phone prices is ridiculous. There is no other product you can buy BESIDES a smartphone for upwards of $600 that will be obsolete within a year. The extra $400 I had 2 months ago I spent on a Ps4 which will be relevant for at least 4 more years and I get a hell of a lot more enjoyment out of than a repackaging of last year's s4 and m7 features. So why spend the $650 to feel like a dummy next year when all anyone will be talking about is the s6 and m9. My next phone will be Motorola's next offering (a company who gets it) or the one plus one.

$600 sounds like a lot but it's worth it for something you can use all day every day for so many uses. And you'll never need to buy a camera, ipod, GPS, alarm clock, wristwatch, less carrying around of computers... Actually more money goes to the carrier... well over $1,000 a year easy for most people. But if you keep unlimited data you can skip buying newspapers, magazines, DVDs, even broadband internet and cable TV... (OK you might break some rules to get all that, but it's not difficult).

I agree nothing eye popping about either new one. These phones have been very good since 2012. I still like my two-year-old model (HTC EVO LTE) so much that I don't even want to change it yet. I think some Galaxy S3 users would say the same thing. The ONLY thing I wish I had out of all the stuff on both of these is the speakers on the new HTCs.

I honestly would take a moto x or nexus 5. Love the n5, the moto x not so much because I got a moto g and most of the features from the x and the new moto phone is coming soon. I also own a galaxy s3 that's my back up phone. I guess that's why I'm not impressed I own the last true game changing phone (it started the big screen craze and nfc) and the Motorola G is not the heavyweight champ but it DEFINITELY is the Middleweight

i am curious about people who don't do contracts - what carrier do you end up using? one thing that drives me nuts is that at the end of your 2 year contract with carriers (us carriers anyway) they don't lower the price...so what' the incentive NOT to get the $200 contract phone?

I'm eager to see what LG has to offer. I haven't tried them yet. Tried HTC left them for Samsung when the note 2 came out, currently on the note 3. I love this phone but looking for something new. LG or Motorola may get my money.
Posted via Android Central App

Not for the first time - I look at the Samsung and HRC flagships of the year - and don't like either of them much.

I use a Note 3 at the moment (which has problems, but somehow works for me). No need for a new phone this year. Perhaps by Mid 2015 there will be a phone I almost like. Possibly an LG . . . But who knows . . . . it may not even run Android.

I used to think AC offered fair reviews, but this now beyond a joke!...How much is HTC paying you for these clearly one sided articles? or are you just their biggest fanboy?....Have you ever asked yourself why normal consumers pick GS5 over the M8? maybe its because the screen and display is much better on the gs5, or the fact that water resistance and dust proofing is a great feature or the fact that the gs5 comes with about 100 more features than the m8 or the fact that the camera blows it out of the water?
This is not to say i dont like the m8, its a great phone but honestly it has just become ridiculous now, like you have been hired as part of HTC marketing team!

How is it obviously one sided? He compared them side by side and in most categories he says they are very very close competitors and at the end says he has a slight lean to the HTC m8. Oh and the average person buys the S5 over the m8 because of marketing. We buy what we are told to buy.
ಠ益ಠ

I'm trying to follow your rant. You think the M8 is a great phone? So to justify your outrage over the "obvious" bias of AC you must feel the GS5 is the greatest technological achievement of the 21st century?

I think AC is greatly underplaying the in hand feel of the One, which is JUST TOO BIG for most people. It is only .2" shorter than the Note 3 and only has a 5" screen. If you want to move up from a G2 (which I own and would never consider) then it is .35" Taller, much worse camera (no comparison with the OIS 13 MP shooter) and no noticeable in performance with the G2 probably still having better battery life. For a handset that is 9 months newer this is supremely disappointing.

Well I already have the M8. I think the camera is great for my purposes. If I need a real camera, I have my DLSR. I am coming from the S3. I love the M8's build quality, battery life and I think Sense is refreshing coming from TW. I didn't think I would use it but the TV app and the IR blaster are amazing.

I have red most of these comments and I have had experience with both an HTC 4G LTE and a s4. I owned the HTC longer. The galaxy has always been said to be a better phone than the HTC. My experience though has been that the HTC has had a better screen and taken better pictures than the Galaxy. S4 camera in my opinion sucked and I hated how there was tons of stuff that I couldn't remove on the phone. One big reason I miss my HTC is because it had beats audio and I listen to pandora while in the car and it made a night and day difference. With my next upgrade I think ill be going HTC again. Im familiar with it, I dont use my camera alot, but listen to a lot of music and would love those dual speakers.

Both phones are great but let me say this, the camera on the m8 is not bad, people really over analyze that. Sense 6 is the best layer over pure android that I've ever used, I had a gs3 and 4 and I always rooted and installed Cyanogenmod. But in the end everyone get the phone that makes you happy.

If Samsung made bloatware able to uninstalled and offered some themes that affected the looks in settings, etc they would have the world by the balls....the balls!!!

Quite frankly I have a moto x and wouldn't pick either one of these phones, htc's downfall is their camera and the design of the s5 looks like an s1 only bigger. It's a shame neither company can admit their downfalls and improve, but then again you'd never have a reason to pick up the s6 or m9....ugh

That´s the funny thing: everyone is blablabla Samsung bloatware - but the fact is, there is not much! Most "bloatware" must be downloaded first from the Samsung store - even some of the camera mods are NOT pre-installed.

Tried them both, liked neither but I'd go with GS5. As soon as I picked up and held the M8 I didn't like how thick, heavy and large the phone felt in my hand. One handed use was a pain. The GS5 on the other hand was light, thin and easy to hold and use with one hand. Specs, camera, etc, nothing else matters if it doesn't feel good in use.
Posted via Android Central App

I was playing around with the camera and noticed a lot of blur from the light in my office. I looked down at my lens and noticed a smudge. Wiped it and everything was good. Check this when taking pictures. Seems to make a difference outside, too.

Hmmm. My wife and I are both going to upgrade our phones to AT&T's Next plan because we can get 10GB of data for the same price that we get 4GB now. I'm thinking that we are going to get one of each of these. I don't really want to upgrade my M7 One, but we need to upgrade because her phone is destroyed. However, I don't mind having the M7 sitting as a backup.

Definitely a preference thing. I prefer the Sense software and I think the One is a beautiful phone. I don't print pics so the camera is ok with me. I actually get compliments on the pics I take with the One (viewed on screen) and have had Samsung and iphone users ask me to send them my copy of low light pics because they can't get a decent shot. I believe that if the One was 8 megapixels it would blow the Samsung away, but it's not so like I said, it's all preference. They are both great phones.

Amazing how we can still recommend a device with a sub par camera on android in 2014. And the DSLR comments get as old as they are bulky to carry around...so camera wins out over speakers for me. Not to mention 160 grams is more than I want in my pocket.

Alex, damn good job on this article. Good job mixing in facts and opinion. Now that being said. ..we already knew you guys preferred the M8.
Find me a SINGLE tech reviewer that had chosen the s3/s4/s5 over the one x/m7/m8. Just one.
You won't, for whatever reason... u just won't.

By who's definition?
The small community of tech heads rhat are constantly switching, flashing, tweaking phones and counting milliseconds between page loads?
Or the numbers?
The numbers say that removable batteries are better - Samoled diaplays are better - Memory cards (which is why htc brought it back in the m8) are better - IP67 is better - buncha features that may or may not get used is better - Touchwiz is better! Lol.
Argue about whatever samsung does to get their numbers...but one thing for sure..theyre keeping them. N theyre getting stronger.
Numbers dont lie.

@Habib - im well aware of how well the iphone sells compared to any individual android. Had that been a part of the topic of discussion...but it wasnt.
Now consider the fact that when people think android they think Galaxy. All of those 'fallacy laden talking points'...become selling points. Features will always sell man.
@dumbcow1 - yep, and I stand by it too.

....dude seriously. I've mentioned from the start that the iPhone was not mentioned originally. Then you just repeated the same thing to me like your name is Polly.

It's typical though. An itemized list of reasons that a device sells are always presented as gospel, using crapshoot logic. That is until the "iPhone" due to its success and lack of those tangible attributes, renders all of it moot.

So to save face, it's either the classic response of:

"oh.. I wuz jus talKen bouT Andr0id fones y0" {{{Cop out}}}

-or-

"well it has 2 be duh reason cuz it $ells so much since it has those features" {{{FALLACY}}}.

Prime example is that since the HTC M7 is made of aluminum and it didn't sell as well as its competition, then its "obvious" that people don't like or care about metal fones....y0. Well the iPhone is metal and it sells, so people must like and care about metal fones...y0. {{{SuperSt00pidFallacy101}}}

Polly here again,
Wow..Fallacy, moot, crapshoot...impressive! Must have a hard time keeping the ladies away.
We disagree, plain and simple, which is okay. I'll leave you to your metal/iphone fetish, you leave me to my S5 which can do more than the M7, M8, and Iphone 5 combined.

PS. There was a cluster of typos in your response..numbers where letters should be..misspellings..etc...just thought I'd let you know.

@Touchperception - Oh hell yeah im a Samsung Fanboy!!...loud n proud..thru and thru. The most interesting capabilities on any device by miles. Tried to leave em, nexus 5, moto x, m8...bored me to death. Plastic n all.. i get way more bang for my buck. List whatever device your using..or that you think is better...then ill list a buncha features and reasons. .or "gimmicks" as youd call them..that my phone can do that yours cant.

@Skyway - I see your point, but I was arguing the point that just as easily as someone can list a set of reasons why the m8 is better, one could easily use a list of reasons why its not. Sales figures dont equate to quality, I understand. But it isnt meaningless.

Thank you for a tight and comprehensive comparison. It provided some excellent contrasts with a very helpful "hands-on" flavor. Also, the bottom-line portion that highlights the weaknesses is a good way to contrast two top-rated, very good cell phones.

At first I was puzzled by the final, "subjective" judgement favoring the M8 (but not surprised, since after-all, this is Android [htc] Central:-). However, after re-reading the article, I think this was the best way to wrap up the comparison, because it provided a good illustration of the "real-world" model of phone buying.

Most tech-savvy users will do the contrast and compare work laid out in this piece; but they won't stop there. They also will complicate the decision-process by considering personal taste and preference factors. These factors may (or may not) be based on capabilities/ specifications, but they often are the strongest motivators. It explains why two folks can look at the S5 and M8 and resolutely make two different selections.

Seriously though, I really wanted to buy the M8, but the camera was just a deal breaker. That giant chin also became nearly unbearable. Wasn't bothered by it initially, but just couldn't "unnotice" it afterwards.

Then I was going to go with the GS5. Took three trips to the store to realize that I simply didn't want it. Nothing about it really attracted me.

I have the g2 and think that the buttons on the back were a great idea. They're easy to access, and double tap to turn on and off takes care of any weird scenarios were it might be awkward to access the buttons on the back.

I agree, A launcher does not fix the lag and woes of Samsung's bloated and slow software.
It's just putting lipstick on a pig.
All of samsung's crap is still loaded in the background.

I rooted and installed AOSP based roms on a lot of previous Galaxy phones included the S4, the only way to fix samsung phone lag is to go with an AOSP custom rom. And after they started really locking there phones down with the S4 it wasn't worth it to me. I'll probably never buy another Samsung device.

If you spend over $600 on a phone and HAVE to install a third party launcher, that's a major fail in my book. I'd rather go with a phone that has software that just works
Posted via Android Central App

Nova, BTW, is great; neither slow nor bulky. You can restore your exact desktop and all widgets after resetting or flashing --no matter what Rom is used. Nova, combined with Titanium Backup, ensures that my $649 phone always presents the screens and data I am accustomed to seeing --and can be 100% restored to my personal configuration in less than 30 minutes after flashing a different rom, or resetting the phone.

Going with "software that just works," reeks of compromise; and it's the reason I switched to Android and away from apple a long time ago.

Well friends, I went with the One M8 and here I will tell you why for reasons not mentioned in the blog:

1) The most aggravating thing about manufacturers is that they advertise a certain amount of memory space, but in reality most of the space is taken up by bloatware. Less than 8 GB out of the box is unacceptable. Samsung knows that Kit Kat changes how we use SD cards, so why not just make 32 GB standard with a slot? The One wins here because I had around 23-25 GB available out of the box with a sd card slot.

2) Historically Samsung's bloatware has taken a toll on the processor and battery. Rooting was great 3 years ago, but I shouldn't have to do that to get peak performance. No launcher should have lag in 2014. None.

3) The One just feels like a step forward. Like Alex said, it feels like I have 2015's or 2016's phone in hand. The S5 is not to much different from the S3 or S4 in feel.

Any thoughts on the range of 'devices' that the Samsung supports like smart watch and fitness band, ect. Seems the only cool gadget for the M8 is the bit flip case. From a gadget freak perspective, Samsung wins the day, from a common user everyday texture and user experience seems the M8 will win out.

Yes, but a smart watch and fit band is available to those who don't buy Samsung through third party manufacturers. I'm not big those things anyways. The common user aren't looking for those items anyway. There is a reason Best Buy had a large return rate on the Galaxy Gear. It's cool, but it wasn't $300 cool.

i agree with most of what you are saying but i am shaking my head about the "future phone" comment you made and the one in the article. I suspect that by 2016 anybody coming back and reading those statements in this article will probably get a good chuckle.

i understand what you mean, but i don't think it adds to the argument.

Sadly right now it only works with the screen off. However! You can download an app to do the turn off command, the app is called Knock Lock. Its kind of odd they don't have an ability to turn it off via the screen on but whatever. Its pretty easy to use Knock Lock, uses nearly no battery life and just works, I set the event on my task bar since I don't pull the shade from certain places.

I thought this was a great article. It points out the major points of each phone.

The HTC got some things really right and really wrong while the GS5 was more balanced between its strengths and weaknesses. This one really comes down to what the user wants as they are two total different experiences.

Me too, it's improved my photo's more than any other camera improvement. LG has made me a convert to needing OIS. I wasn't actually thinking about it when I said I'd get an M8, I don't think I'd want to do without OIS

i agree with most of your post but i'm not sure i agree that there's "significantly less bloat" with the HTC. Seems like they're both guilty of it and as a relatively happy owner of two HTC phones in the past (og and LTE evo) there is no shortage of bloat...the m8 doesn't seem any different.

i jailbreak most of my phones, but 6th sense seems like it might be worth hanging onto.

So the metal body Ford Focus has a better build quality then a plastic body Chevy Corvette? I'm a Ford man but in this case would take the plastic in a heart beat! I'm not getting a new phone this year so it really doesn't matter to me but if I had to pick between these two phones I would pick the one that is easier to hold on to (which makes it easier to use) is weather resistant and has the much better camera. I'm really tired of hearing just because it has a metal body it's a better phone, even though it makes it hard to even hold onto the phone. So the phone is hard to hold onto, the screen is higher on the frame so harder to reach the top (while the phone is slippery) and the camera is just not up to par but yet they pick it?

You guys keep using the aluminum isn't everything fine you don't like the aluminum but it's not the only thing that the m8 offers, it has more internal storage, it's software is faster and smoother, and the battery lasts longer.

If you think that people pick the M8 because of the aluminum construction you're not reading the full article. Or articles, actually. And not just because the body of the Focus isn't made out of aluminum*, but are you really equating the difference between these two devices to the differences between those two cars?

* But if it was, and it had roughly the same dimensions, the same engine and transmission, the same tuned suspension and was about the same price as the Corvette, would you get it then?

One thing I noticed is that there is no mention of the internal memory. On Verizon, the GS5 only comes with 16GB for 199, where you get 32GB with the HTC One M8. Hence, for the same price, I went with the HTC One M8 and am super satisfied with it! Yeah, I take some pictures with my phone, but I have a SLR for the real serious shots. This phone is just built better and performs better overall. There is something floating around YouTube, where HTC beats the GS5 by almost 5 seconds when running through similar launch sequences...

This is a big factor since the s5 only has 16gb of internal with only around 9-10gb available for the same price Htc one gives you 32gb internal storage with 25gb available. Samsung says it comes in 32 and 64gb but where are they the carriers in Canada only get the 16gb?

I did have to choose, and picked the S5. I do not get all the hype on the Aluminum HTC body. I would opt for feels better, easily handled over glitz any time.
The one weakness I do see in the GS5 is the speaker. But who listens to music on a phone without a good set of earphones or buds, or a Bluetooth speaker?
I had an HTC One X and was not impressed with Sense, replacing it with a third party skin. Sense may have improved, but I find the GS5 software look and feel perfectly adequate and and improvement over the One X sense.
The selling point for me, however was the camera, and HTC leaving me hanging on my One X without an upgrade to KitKat.. I do not want to be in that position again.

Personally, when I'm playing a game on my Android, it's either on the bus, or at work. Away from home and what not. So I'm always gonna be playing with headphones. At home, I play my PS4. And even then I use headphones sometimes :) Yes I have kids.

Guess what, My 69 year old ears are very satisfied with the headphone output of the S5. Also depends on the earphones. In any case I am not a fan boy. I just indicated that I had a choice and what I chose and for what reasons. I am sure the M8 is a fine phone. Enjoy!

"But who listens to music on a phone without a good set of earphones or buds, or a Bluetooth speaker?"

I do. A lot. Because I have an HTC One, which has speakers good enough to support that use case. When I am sitting at home working, I'd much rather have the sound coming from an external source, not crammed into or onto my ears. And when the speakers are as good as on the One, you don't really need a Bluetooth speaker to enjoy it.

Yeah my choice is neither too, I hate touchwiz and Samsung's laggy software, Touchwiz might be getting a little better but it still lags. HTC has a crappy camera.

My nexus 5 is a nice middle ground I think, good camera, no bloatware or lag, fastest updates you can get :)
Spec wise if you take the camera out of the picture neither device really beats the N5 substantially on most fronts
Snapdragon 800 vs 801 is only a minimal improvement, I'll give you battery life is better than the N5, but I get a full day and 3 1/2 - 4 hours of on screen time on my N5, that's really all I need.
Before you jump all over me, I've left SD cards behind and I don't care about removable batteries. I know it's very important to many people but it doesn't matter to me.

I don't doubt it, but for my needs the nexus 5 is fine, 4 hours is really the very high end of how long I use a smartphone in one day. It's extremely rare that I have to power up mid day, and when I do I have a Wireless charger. It's a big difference no doubt, but it doesn't affect my usage.

For me, stock vanilla is way overrated. It's boring and has limited functionality. Fast update is nice and all but not all updates give huge benefits for users that you will miss it given the late-coming for non nexus phones. My G2 was updated to 4.4.2 in March from 4.2.2 which should be a huge improvement but barely noticeable. I can only say it now has slightly better battery life and smoother performance. Anyway, back to the article, I'd rather have GS5 than M8 for build size and camera.

Android changes tend to be hidden beneath the manufacturer UI so yea a lot of devices don't look much better. And a lot of features simply haven't caught on.
Stock isn't for everyone, but for me personally I like it because nothing is snappier than stock android and it kind of leaves the customization and looks to the user to customize which I prefer over any of the manufacturer UIs.
I've yet to find a feature on an HTC or Samsung phone I need that I can't replicate but finding a good app on the play store.
I prefer that to having to have a lot of heavier elements baked into the stock apps.

I returned the M8 right before my 14 days ended it didnt feel good in the hand the build quality i could care less about i had a case on it i have a case on my s5 so who cares about it being plastic you drop the M8 it'll do damage you drop the S5 gonna do damage. if the m8 was slightly wider and shorter with a better camera i would still have it. both are great phones

M8 would have been hard to say no too if it offered a much better camera even just 8mp which isn't too much to ask for and a better screen to bezel ratio especially for a device that has on screen buttons.Because of them 2 negatives for me, I will pick the s5 over the m8 . sure there's nothing spectacular about the s5 but there's nothing terrible wrong with it too. Both are great choice, depending what's important ie metal vs camera you will pick one over the other. Seems like HTC always shoot them self in the foot with things like camera.

Battery life differences are not much, for me the HTC Wins in build, most other parts can get better with software but Samsung can not magic remove the fake metal rim on the S5. But the camera makes it difficult, there both at extremes, S5 has tiny ass pixels but has lots of detail, M8 has huge pixels but lacks detail. Ideal a 8MP camera with the same sensor size as the S5 or even the Z2 would be best.

It's comming. I believe HTC are on the right path. I still want my video highlights and Zoe's, and if that means a limitation on mp count due to the current processing power, yeah I'll wait. Maybe with the new 805/810 they will be able to introduce that. Plus I also think the potential of the duo camera is far greater than anything else out there.

I think it all comes down to preference. Both have pros and con's. GS5, would be best for me for three specific reasons. The first being the camera. The second would be the removable battery. The third being the SD Card slot.
That being said. I'm not a huge fan of the cheaper materials, but if I did need to replace the back cover I could. Touch Wiz isn't my favorite, but I can deal with it. Samsung bloat is a bigger issue for me.
It's all opinion.